Image credit: Universal Pictures, Landers-Roberts Productions, National General Pictures, Columbia Pictures, First Artists, Carolco Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox, United Artists
You'll find thrills, chills, and a good dose of that '70s flair that makes these movies uniquely charming.
1. "The Hot Rock" (1972) You ever try to steal a diamond? What about four times? "The Hot Rock" follows a squad led by Dortmunder (Robert Redford), a professional thief, whose simple diamond heist turns into a wild goose chase. First, they steal it from a museum, only to lose it in a police precinct. Then they grab it again, but it ends up buried with a dead body. Just when you think they've got it in the bag, they have to steal it from a high-security police station.
2. "The Getaway" (1972) If you've got Steve McQueen in your movie, you know you're in for a ride. Carter McCoy (McQueen) is a convict who gets out of jail with the help of his wife Carol (Ali MacGraw) and a corrupt businessman. The catch? McCoy has to rob a bank for him. Of course, things go south. Betrayed by their partners, they grab the loot and run.
Cue high-speed chases, a slew of double-crosses, and enough suspense to fill a ten-gallon hat.
3. "Charley Varrick" (1973) When you rob a small-town bank, you don't expect to find big-time mafia money. Charley Varrick (Walter Matthau) and his pals find themselves in hot water when their low-key bank heist turns up a jaw-dropping $750,000. What they thought would be their ticket out turns into a nightmare as they become the target of both the law and a ruthless hitman from the mafia. All they wanted was a quick score, but now they're in it deep.
4. "Straight Time" (1978) Fresh outta prison, Max Dembo (Dustin Hoffman) is determined to walk the straight and narrow. That is until his parole officer makes life unbearable. Max snaps, turning back to crime with his friend Jerry (Gary Busey). They start with small jobs but soon graduate to bigger heists, including a plan to rob a high-stakes poker game.
It's Hoffman in a crime drama; do you really need more of a reason to watch this?
5. "The Driver" (1978) Ryan O'Neal as a getaway driver — no name, no backstory, just raw talent behind the wheel. He's pursued by Bruce Dern, a detective hell-bent on catching him. The Driver is hired by some crooks for a big job, but things go sideways when it turns out to be a set-up. Now he has to outwit both the cops and the crooks, all while proving he's the best in the business.
High-speed chases and car stunts galore, although no Ryan Gosling in sight.
6. "The Silent Partner" (1978) Elliot Gould plays a mild-mannered bank teller named Miles who catches wind that his bank is about to be robbed by a guy dressed as a mall Santa (Christopher Plummer). But instead of playing the hero, Miles has a better idea — why not skim a bit off the top for himself before alerting the authorities? He snags a cool $50,000 but now has to deal with a very irate, and dangerous, Santa who wants his cut.
7. "The Anderson Tapes" (1971) Before high-tech heists were all the rage, there was "The Anderson Tapes."
Sean Connery is Duke Anderson, an ex-con who decides to rob an entire New York apartment building. Yep, you heard that right, the whole darn building! He assembles a team and plans to rob every single tenant, all while under surveillance from multiple agencies. The kicker? None of these agencies are talking to each other.
8. "Blue Collar" (1978) Imagine working at a car factory and stumbling upon your union's dark secret — a safe filled with dirty money. That's exactly what happens to Zeke (Richard Pryor), Jerry (Harvey Keitel), and Smokey (Yaphet Kotto). The plan is to steal just enough so it goes unnoticed, but they bungle it up and take everything. Now, they have to deal with union thugs, police, and their own paranoia.
9. "Thunderbolt and Lightfoot" (1974) Clint Eastwood and Jeff Bridges team up in this road-heist flick that's equal parts action and comedy. Eastwood is Thunderbolt, a Korean War veteran who once pulled off a massive heist. Bridges is Lightfoot, a young drifter. They team up to recover Thunderbolt's stashed loot, but the old gang members who think Thunderbolt double-crossed them are hot on their trail.
10. "The Brink's Job" (1978) This is a movie based on a real-life heist. "The Brink's Job" follows Tony Pino (Peter Falk), a small-time crook who discovers that the security at Boston's Brink's Garage is laughably lax. He rounds up his crew, including his right-hand man Vinnie (Peter Boyle), for a robbery that should be a piece of cake. But, you know, even the best-laid plans...
The movie brings the '70s vibes with its authentic Boston locations and serves as a period piece of a heist that took place in the '50s.
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